Last night, Barack Obama was named 44th president of the United States of America – and the first Black leader of the free world.  Within minutes, I received this text message from Mama Lucy:

“WOW! THAT’S A SUPERB VICTORY!  MAY GOD GIVE HIM THE STRENGTH AND WISDOM TO LEAD AMERICA AND THE WORLD.  Everyone here’s very happy with the results.”

The world is, truly, smaller than we think.  In Kenya, the country just to the north of Tanzania, today was declared a national holiday in honor of Obama and his father, their native son. I won’t share my own political perspectives here, and Epic Change certainly has no political agenda given IRS rules governing 501c3 nonprofits, but I’d be fooling myself to think the world can think of much but the election today.  Regardless of political persuasion, last night’s vote was clearly historic, and sent an important message to African Americans, people of African descent, and people of color across the globe.  In Obama’s own words…”yes we can!”

I can’t imagine what that message must feel like to the children and the community of Shepherds Junior.  To Gideon, who dreams of discovering new planets, to Leah who wants to cure AIDS, to Edmund who aspires to protect the rights of women in his country and to Nihad, a budding environmentalist, Obama’s election seems much more than a political statement.  It’s an indication of all that’s possible for them, and for our shared future, if we work together, across party affiliations, races, nationalities and all our differences, to create a world that celebrates the remarkable potential of all people.